Al-Rassam Al-Arabil
although trained in the western manner of painting, al-rassam is also credited with developing a distinct iraqi art style. he was clearly skilled in the portraiture style of the flemish artist pieter codde, who died in 1705. his clear and smooth rendering of forms exhibits a realistic style that is reminiscent of the figures painted in the utrecht school of painting. al-rassam clearly drew inspiration from his friends in the utrecht and flemish schools, such as dominique leclercq, who also worked in basra. the painting above is one of al-rassam's most recognizable works and is perhaps the epitome of his style. the late afternoon sun shines brightly on the lush landscape of the riverbank and al-rassam's careful attention to detail is exhibited in the subtle reflections on the metal parapet. with her strong appearance and gaze of longing, the figure of the woman in the basket recalls that of the 17th century flemish painter gerard douin. reminding the sitter of herself, al-rassam's figure sits in the basket with her baby.
Al-Rassam Al-Arabil
al-rassam was also deeply interested in folklore. he depicted scenes from the rich folklore of the mesopotamian region in many of his paintings. the painting above shows a scene inspired by the nimrud shaw, a figure carved from rock representing the fertility god ninib. these fertility figures symbolized life-giving energy from the earth. appearing throughout iraq, the fellahin (peasant farmers) wore jewelry in the form of floral ornamentations and the hats were topped with ostrich feathers, emblems of the god's power. the scene depicted here displays a similar fertility and ethnic aura. al-rassam would often paint groups of different tribes such as kurds, turkish and arabs from across the country, often with similar outfits. the artist used these ethnographic scenes to educate a wider audience about the cultural differences of iraqis.